« 

EDITORIAL  EXTRACTS  FAVORING  AND  SUGGESTING  REASONS  FOR  THE 


APPOINTMENT  OF  THE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF 
PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION  BY  THE  REGENTS 
OF  THE  UNIVERSITY. 


[Editorial  from  New  York  Times,  12  August  1894] 

THE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION 

There  is  one  subject  with  which  the  constitutional  convention  should  deal 
with  courage  and  decision,  if  it  does  anything  with  it,  and  that  is  the  unifica¬ 
tion  of  the  educational  system  of  the  state,  by  vesting  the  appointment  of 
the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  in  the  regents  of  the  University. 
By  thus  removing  the  choice  of  the  superintendent  from  the  field  of  par¬ 
tisan  political  contention  it  would  be  possible  to  secure  the  services  in  that 
office  of  higher-minded  and  more  capable  men  and  (of  almost  equal  con¬ 
sequence)  to  retain  such  a  man  so  long  as  his  efficiency,  pertinent  to  the 
duties  of  the  office,  should  continue  at  high-water  mark. 

The  present  method  of  choosing  superintendents  by  the  legislature,  once 
in  three  years,  makes  political  considerations  decide  the  original  choice, 
and  is  sure  to  turn  out  the  experienced  officer  at  the  end  of  his  official 
term  if  the  opposing  political  party  is  then  in  the  ascendency. 

All  parties  should  agree  to  take  the  educational  system  of  the  state  out 
of  politics.  There  is  plenty  of  room  elsewhere  for  political  contention. 
Let  us  all  unite  in  placing  the  schools  of  the  state,  from  the  kindergarten 
to  the  university,  under  the  scientific  supervision  and  unselfish  care  of  the 
regents  of  the  University,  who  are  high-minded  men,  devoting  their  time 
and  services  to  the  cause  of  education,  asking  and  receiving  no  compen¬ 
sation  for  their  labors  and  anxious  only  to  promote  as  best  may  be  the 
enlightenment  and  elevation  of  the  people  at  large. 

The  constitutional  convention  can  do  nothing  that  will  more  widely 
commend  its  work  to  the  people  of  this  state,  of  all  shades  of  political 
belief,  than  thus  to  safeguard  the  best  interests  of  the  public  schools  of  all 
grades. 


-^1 3024" 


I 


2 


[[Editorial  from  New  York  Tribune,  12  Aup:ust  1894] 

THE  CONVENTION  AND  THE  SCHOOLS 

The  proposal  that  the  power  and  duty  of  appointing  the  superintendent 
of  public  instruction  in  this  state  shall  be  transferred  from  the  legislature 
to  the  regents  of  the  University  is  supported  by  strong  arguments.  The 
advocates  of  this  change,  whose  sincerity  and  disinterestedness  can  not 
possibly  be  suspected,  have  reason  to  hope  that  the  constitutional  conven¬ 
tion  will  adopt  their  views,  but  since  its  time  is  limited  and  its  work  heavy, 
a  preliminary  discussion  of  the  subject  may  be  helpful. 

All  judicious  supporters  of  the  educational  establishment  of  this  state 
are  doubtless  agreed  that  it  ought  to  be  absolutely  secured  against  po¬ 
litical  manipulation,  and  therefore  that  it  ought,  if  possible,  to  be  entirely 
outside  the  field  of  political  contention.  So  far  as  the  powers  of  the  re¬ 
gents  extend,  that  object  has  been  already  happily  accomplished.  It  is 
solely  with  the  desire  and  intention  of  carrying  out  this  principle  still 
further  that  an  extension  of  their  powers  in  the  way  proposed  is  now 
urged.  Under  the  existing  system  the  choice  of  a  superintendent  of 
public  instruction  is  inevitably  influenced  by  political  considerations. 
The  fact  that  the  unfortunate  possibilities  of  the  present  method  of 
selection  have  hitherto  been  generally  avoided  is  not  a  sufficient  ar¬ 
gument  for  its  retention,  if  a  different  method  would  almost  certainly 
afford  a'  stronger  guarantee  of  efficiency  in  that  important  office  and 
of  popular  confidence  in  the  incumbent.  Those  who  have  carefully 
considered  the  plan  of  vesting  the  appointment  of  the  superintendent  in 
the  regents  of  the  University  are  convinced  that  the  change  would  be  per¬ 
manently  beneficial.  It  is  said  truly  that  while  by  the  conditions  of  their 
existence  and  organization  the  regents  represent  both  parties  in  the  sense 
that  they  are  chosen  from  both  parties,  and  must  continue  to  do  so,  they 
are  nevertheless  as  far  removed  from  the  sway  of  personal  or  political 
prejudices  as  any  official  body  however  constituted  could  be  ;  that  during 
the  whole  period  of  their  history  they  have  never  shown  a  desire  for  in¬ 
creased  power  or  patronage,  and  that  the  only  argument  for  the  proposed 
change  to  which  they  would  listen  for  a  moment  is  to  be  found  in  the 
belief  that  it  would  enable  them  to  serve  the  state  by  unifying  and  strength¬ 
ening  its  educational  system. 

The  regents  hold  office  for  life  without  salary,  and  the  natural  expecta¬ 
tion  that  officials  appointed  to  discharge  a  sacred  trust  on  those  terms 
would  cherish  no  other  ambition  than  that  of  promoting  the  common  wel¬ 
fare  within  their  sphere  has  been  confirmed  by  experience.  The  people 
of  this  state  have  an  immense  interest  in  the  educational  branch  of  the 
public  service,  and  are  more  and  more  conscious  of  that  fact  every  year. 
They  will  certainly  be  prepared  to  ratify  any  measure  for  increasing  the 
efficiency  of  the  schools  so  soon  as  they  are  convinced  of  its  merits.  That 


3 


the  purpose  of  this  proposal  to  lift  the  office  of  superintendent  entirely 
above  the  range  of  party  strife  is  as  sure  as  it  is  deserving  of  their  sym¬ 
pathy  no  one  can  doubt,  and  we  believe  that  the  method  suggested  will 
commend  itself  to  their  approval,  as  we  hope  it  may  to  the  judgment 
of  the  constitutional  convention. 


[From  editorial  of  Niagara  Falls  Cataract  concerning  the  proposed  appointment  of  the  superin¬ 
tendent  of  public  instruction  by  the  regents  of  the  University] 


Much  might  be  said  in  favor  of  the  suggested  change.  The  board  is  a 
more  permanent  body  than  the  legislature,  is  freer  from  political  entangle¬ 
ments  ;  and  is  in  closer  touch  with  all  matters  educational,  dealing  as  it 
does  with  such  subjects  only.  Any  appointments  they  might  make  would, 
in  their  own  interests,  necessarily  be  dictated  rather  by  a  desire  to  secure 
a  competent  and  capable  man  than  by  any  desire  to  serve  party  or  party 
ends. 


[Editorial  from  New  York  Morning  Advertiser^  8  .A.ugust  1894] 

The  movement  inaugurated  by  the  teachers  of  the  high  schools  of  the 
state  to  have  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  appointed  by  the 
board  of  regents  is  one  that  deserves  encouragement  and  should  receive 
the  careful  attention  of  the  constitutional  convention.  The  educational 
committee  has  had  the  matter  before  it  for  some  time,  but  consideration  of 
it  is  being  too  long  deferred.  •  The  present  method  of  appointment  —  by 
joint  ballot  of  the  legislature  —  is  one  which  passes  this  important  office 
over  to  the  control  of  politicians.  The  salary  attached  is  $5,000.  This 
is  a  bone  worth  picking,  and  it  sets  the  pack  to  quarreling.  Of  late  there 
has  been  no  influence  in  the  state  that  could  prevail  against  the  personal 
wishes  of  Lieutenant-Governor  Sheehan  in  this  matter,  and  that  fact  of 
itself  is  sufficient  to  show  the  danger  which  lies  in  the  present  method. 
The  superintendent  of  public  instruction  exerts  a  tremendous  influence  on 
all  the  educational  institutions  of  the  state  from  the  kindergarten  to  the 
university,  and  it  is  not  pleasant  to  know  that  the  entire  public-school 
system  might  be  so  readily  Sheehanized.  The  regents  are  nineteen  in 
number,  holding  office  for  life,  and  the  board,  including  as  it  does  the 
governor,  lieutenant-governor  and  secretary  of  state,  is,  we  take  it,  much 
better  qualified  to  select  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  than 
William  F.  Sheehan  individually. 


4 


[Editorial  from  Harper' s  Weekly,  14  July  1894] 

AN  EDUCATIONAL  REFORM 

It  is  understood  that  a  proposition  to  vest  the  election  of  the  superin¬ 
tendent  of  public  instruction  in  the  regents  of  the  University  is  considered 
favorably  by  the  committee  on  education  of  the  New  York  constitutional 
convention,  and  will  in  due  time  be  reported  to  that  body  for  its  action. 
It  is  auspicious,  both  for  the  character  of  the  proposition  and  the  prospects 
of  its  incorporation  in  the  organic  law,  that  it  will  proceed  from  the  com¬ 
mittee  with  substantial  unanimity.  In  the  convention  it  will  be  advocated 
by  leading  delegates  of  both  parties,  and  there  can  be  no  question  of  its 
adoption  and  submission  to  the  people. 

Its  inspiration  is  obvious,  and  that  in  the  desire  of  intelligent  friends  of 
education  to  relieve,  so  far  as  practicable,  the  conduct  of  its  various  sys¬ 
tems  from  political  influences.  There  is,  of  course,  no  department  of 
government  that  should  be  so  free  from  partisan  inclination  as  that  of 
education,  and  yet  it  is  to  the  reproach  of  New  York,  which  in  many  re¬ 
spects  has  conserved  admirably  the  educational  interests  of  her  people,  that 
she  has  permitted  too  much  of  the  evil -indicated  to  obtain,  and  that 
specially  in  the  management  of  her  elementary  schools.  This  is  true  of 
city  boards,  too  often  the  creatures  of  ward  caucuses,  of  county  commis¬ 
sioners  quite  as  often  the  makeshifts  of  convention  compromises,  and  of 
the  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  chosen  almost  uniformly  for  his 
skill  as  a  manipulator  of  votes  rather  than  for  his  worth  as  an  educator. 
That  some  of  the  officials  thus  evolved  have  become  superior  to  the  method 
of  their  production  is  certainly  to  their  credit,  but  the  method  has  endured 
with  the  lax  or  dictatorial  supervision,  the  incompetent  subordinates  with 
credentials  from  local  bosses,  and  the  tendency  to  subordinate  educational 
weal  to  political  behests  which  it  involves.  A  drastic  re‘'orm  would  at 
once  resolve  the  elective  into  the  appointive  scheme,  with  lengthened  ten¬ 
ures  and  removals  for  cause,  but  this  would  probably  be  so  repugnant  to 
the  democratic  sentiment  of  the  commonwealth,  fortified  as  it  is  by  the 
generally  beneficent  operation  of  the  constitution  of  1846,  as  to  render  it 
inexpedient  and  impracticable,  but  a  movement  in  the  right  direction  may 
be  made  by  taking  the  department  of  public  instruction  from  the  domain 
of  party  politics. 

There  is  no  need  to  rehearse  the  story  of  how  this  supreme  and  sacred 
trust  has  been  time  and  again  abused  and  degraded,  or  how  those  who 
have  held  it  have  been  fashioned  by  the  machinery  of  party,  and  have  in 
turn  constructed  machines  for  personal  profit  and  partisan  aggrandizement. 
It  is  a  story  as  familiar  as  lamentable.  The  evil  should  be  summarily 
remedied,  and  that  remedy  may  be  applied  by  the  convention  at  the 
request  of  the  committee. 


HOW  CAN  THE  SYSTEM  OF  EDUCATION 
IN  THIS  STATE  BE.  IMPROVED  ? 


The  attention  of  the  delegates  to  the  Constitu¬ 
tional  Convention  is  respectfully  called  to  the 
considerations  and  arguments  advanced  in  the  fol¬ 
lowing  pages,  as  suggesting  an  answer  to  this  most 
important  question. 


5 


The  committee  suggests  nothing  revolutionary  concerning  the  functions 
of  the  department.  They  will  not  be  disturbed.  Neither  its  authority  is  to 
be  abridged,  its  jurisdiction  limited,  nor  its  constitution  changed.  Its 
head  will  still  be  the  head  of  the  common-school  system,  invested  with 
all  the  powers  —  and  they  are  very  considerable  —  that  he  now  possesses. 
He  will  not  be  the  servant  of  the  regents;  he  will  be  tlie  master  within 
his  own  sphere,  although  in  deriving  his  commission  from  them  he  will  be 
likely  to  act  in  harmony  with  them.  Friction  between  the  elementary  and 
higher  branches  of  education,  which  has  sometimes  occurred,  will  thus  be 
avoided,  and  this  is  most  desirable.  There  should  be  harmony  between 
the  two,  but  this  does  not  imply  either  the  persuasion  or  propriety  of 
unification,  even  if  it  were  attainable,  which  at -present  it  probably  is  not, 
delicate  and  perplexing  as  would  be  the  adjustments  required,  and  deter¬ 
mined  against  it  as  are  the  convictions  of  many  who  have  given  it  serious 
thought.  It  is  not  proposed  to  vary  or  to  modify  a  single  feature  of 
existing  systems  of  education. 

The  new  departure  is  simply  as  to  the  mode  of  election.  The  regents 
are  the  most  convenient,  conservative,  and  serviceable  agents  in  whom  to 
confide  such  election,  while  still  preserving  the  integrity  and  independence 
of  public-school  administration. 

It  is  not  essential  in  this  connection  to  review  the  work  which  the  regents 
have  done  through  the  century  of  their  being,  nor  to  emphasize  the  oppor¬ 
tunities  for  still  larger  usefulness  which  recent  legislation  has  afforded  them, 
but  it  is  true  that  their  composition,  their  disposition,  and  their  usages 
would  be  the  assurance  that  through  them  politics  would  be  eliminated  in 
the  selection  of  the  superintendent,  who  would  be  chosen  in  the  same 
manner  and  for  the  same  term  as  is  the  secretary  of  the  board.  The  re¬ 
gents  have,  indeed,  been  elected  by  the  same  body,  viz,  the  legislature,  as 
have  the  superintendent  and  United  States  senators,  but  membership  in 
the  board,  with  the  life  tenure  attached  to  it  and  non-compensated  service, 
has  informed  them  with  a  dignity  and  a  sense  of  responsibility  inconsistent 
with  political  bias  in  their  official  action.  This  is  in  the  nature  of  things. 
It  commends  itself  a  priori^  but  it  is  also  justified  historically.  Some  fresh 
illustrations  are  notably  pertinent.  Four  years  ago  George  William  Curtis 
was  unanimously  elected  chancellor  by  a  board  which  was  almost  wholly 
opposed  to  him  politically,  but  he  was  by  his  eminence  as  a  scholar,  and 
his  long  and  distinguished  career  as  a  regent,  entitled  to  the  distinction, 
which  was  freely  bestowed.  Upon  his  death  another  scholar  was  preferred 
as  his  successor,  and  William  Croswell  Doane,  who  had  but  a  year  pre¬ 
viously  been  elected  a  regent  by  a  democratic  legislature,  was  made  vice- 
chancellor.  In  the  selection  of  its  secretaries  and  clerical  force  the  board 
has  always  been  equally  solicitous  that  its  appointments  should  be  sig¬ 
nificant  of  their  educational  and  effective  quality,  and  not  of  their  political 
affiliations.  So  it  would  appear  that  the  regents  may  safely  be  trusted  to 


6 


choose  the  superintendent,  and  that  thus  that  official  may  be  preferred  by 
educational  standards.  These  are  the  proper  standards,  and  thus  far  no 
better  nor  no  more  rational  plan  has  been  outlined  than*  that  the  regents 
should  enforce  them. 


[Editorial  from  Buffalo  Express,  24  June  1894] 

REGENTS  WORK  AND  POLITICS 

The  amendment  before  the  constitutional  convention  proposing  to  make 
the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  a  subordinate  of  the  board  of 
regents  would  do  away  with  the  existing  inconsistencies  consequent  upon 
a  dual  system  of  supervising  education.  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  it  would 
injure  the  power  or  opportunities  of  a  good  superintendent,  or  how,  with 
the  board  composed  as  it  is,  it  would  be  a  dangerous  step  for  the  state.  If 
it  would  tend  to  bring  the  regents,  who  are  appointed  for  life,  more  into 
politics,  it  would  not  be  so  desirable.  But  with  a  superintendent  chosen 
as  under  present  conditions,  merely  because  he  is  the  henchman  of  a  boss, 
it  will  be  hard  to  make  the  public  believe  that  a  change  making  him  a  sub¬ 
ordinate  would  be  an  injury  to  the  interests  of  education. 


[Editorial  from  The  Sun,  14  August  1894] 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 

Among  the  thousands  of  college  graduates  who  are  inhabitants  of  the 
Empire  State  there  are  but  few  who  could,  offhand,  give  a  correct  answer 
to  the  question:  What  is  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York?  Yet 
the  question  is  well  worth  answering,  for  under  that  title  we  possess  an 
institution  of  remarkable  administrative  capabilities  of  utility  which,  if  not 
absolutely  unique,  is  only  paralleled  in  France,  and  approached  within  a 
certain  distance  by  the  London  University. 

The  history  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York  is  bound  up 
with  that  of  the  commonwealth,  with  which  it  is  nearly  coeval.  Organ¬ 
ized  in  1784,  it  had  for  its  first  Chancellor  George  Clinton,  while  De 
WiTT  Clinton  was  its  third  Secretary;  and  Alexander  Hamilton  and 
John  Jay  were  among  its  first  and  most  active  regents.  The  “  University  ” 
is  a  supervisory  and  administrative,  not  a  teaching,  institution.  It  is  a 
State  department,  and  at  the  same  time  a  federation  of  over  five  hundred 
institutions  of  higher  and  secondary  education.  Like  other  States,  New 
York  has  a  department  of  public  instruction  in  charge  of  elementary 
schools,  but  no  other  State  has  a  department  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
education  higher  than  that  which  may  be  classed  as  elementary. 


7 


Considered  as  a  State  department,  the  “  University  ” — we  use  quotation 
marks  to  distinguish  it  from  the  meaning  usually  attached  to  the  term — 
unites  various  educational  functions  elsewhere  scattered  or  entirely  unpro¬ 
vided  for,  and  exercises  unusual  powers.  Though  most  of  its  work  is  ex¬ 
ecutive,  yet  in  granting  charters  to  all  educational  institutions,  it  performs 
functions  usually  discharged  only  by  Legislatures.  On  the  other  hand,  in 
revoking  charters  and  dissolving  educational  corporations,  it  exercises  the 
judicial  functions  of  a  court.  Its  examination  department  embraces  not 
only  the  functions  of  the  local  examinations  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge, 
and  of  the  University  of  London,  but  also  the  State  licensing  of  physicians, 
and  other  work  peculiar  to  itself. 

Its  extension  department  corresponds  to  the  similar  departments  of  Ox¬ 
ford  and  Cambridge  and  of  the  London  Society  for  the  Extension  of  Uni¬ 
versity  Teaching.  Its  State  library  and  State  museum  departments  not 
only  have  custody  of  collections,  among  the  most  important  in  the  United 
States,  but  also  conduct  work  allied  to  that  of  the  English  science  and 
art  department  of  the  British  Museum,  and  of  the  London  Natural  History 
Museum. 

Regarded  as  a  federation,  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York 
reminds  one  of  the  Universities  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  each  of  which 
represents  a  union  of  colleges ;  but  in  respect  of  comprehensiveness  it 
differs  from  these,  because  it  includes  all  the  colleges,  academies  and 
institutions  for  higher  education  within  the  bounds  of  the  commonwealth. 
The  law  gives  to  incorporated  institutions  no  option  as  to  their  member¬ 
ship  in  the  University.  It  says  : 

“The  institutions  of  the  University  shall  include  all  institutions  of 
higher  education  (the  term  ‘  higher  ’  here  is  construed  to  embrace  what  is 
generally  termed  secondary)  which  are  now  or  may  be  hereafter  incorpo¬ 
rated  in  this  State,  and  such  other  libraries,  museums,  or  other  institutions 
for  higher  education  as  may,  in  conformity  with  the  ordinances  of  the  re¬ 
gents,  after  official  inspection,  be  admitted  to  or  incorporated  by  the 
University.” 

This  means  that  no  educational  establishments  except  those  of  a  rela¬ 
tively  elementary  order,  which  fall  under  the  authority  of  the  Department 
of  Public  Instruction,  can  have  a  legal  existence  in  New  York  without 
being  subject  to  the  regulations  and  entitled  to  the  privileges  provided  by 
the  University. 

The  University  of  the  State  of  New  York  conserves  the  advantages  oi 
individual  initiative,  while  extending  the  benefits  of  system,  of  harmony, 
of  coworking  in  the  various  members  of  the  educaHonal  body,  and  of 
organic  connection  with  State  life.  The  organization  most  closely  re¬ 
sembling  it  is  that  of  the  University  of  France,  as  devised  by  the  first 
Napoleon  in  1808,  twenty-four  years  after  that  of  the  State  of  New  York 
had  been  put  in  operation. 


8 


[Editorial  from  Troy  Press,  ii  August,  1894.] 

KEEP  THE  SCHOOLS  UNDEFILED. 

The  constitutional  convention,  as  we  have  previously  suggested,  should  vest  the 
appointment  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  in  the  Regents  of  the  Uni¬ 
versity  of  the  State  of  New  York.  —  IVew  York  Advertiser. 

The  question  of  harmonizing  the  two  departments  of  education  in  the 
State  of  New  York  has  been  one  which  has  caused  a  great  deal  of  thought 
on  the  part  of  leaders  in  educational  thought  in  this  state  for  several  years. 
All  sorts  of  suggestions  have  been  made.  Many  of  the  practical  politicians 
urge  that  the  regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York  be 
abolished,  or  put  under  the  control  of  the  department  of  public  instruc¬ 
tion.  But  this  wish  seems  to  be  confined  to  the  politicians  or  those  who 
have  not  given  the  question  particular  attention.  The  true  friends  of 
education,  of  advanced  education  in  this  state  —  and  we  are  glad  to  see 
the  Advertiser  taking  a  determined  stand  on  this  ground  —  are  appre¬ 
ciative  of  the  grand  work  accomplished  by  the  regents,  and  are  mindful 
of  the  wonderful  progress  made  by  that  body  in  the  care  of  the  higher 
schools  and  academies  during  the  past  few  years,  especially  since  the  re¬ 
organization  of  that  institution.  This  phase  of  the  question  is  one  which 
has  been  discussed  frequently  in  this  paper  and  we  do  not  propose  to 
touch  upon  it  here.  The  immediate  point  at  issue  is  whether  the  depart¬ 
ment  of  public  instruction. shall  dominate. 

The  present  superintendent  of  public  instruction  has  taken  occasion 
during  his  terms  of  office  to  ridicule  the  University  of  the  State  of  New 
York  and  the  work  of  its  executive  officers.  An  attempt  has  been  made 
to  belittle  the  principle  on  which  the  institution  has  stood  for  a  century, 
as  well  as  to  cast  discredit  upon  its  workings.  The  stand  taken  by  the 
enemies  of  the  University  is  indefensible,  from  our  standpoint.  The 
foremost  educators  of  the  country,  and  some  of  the  greatest  educators  of 
Europe,  repeatedly  have  commended  the  regents  for  the  work  accom¬ 
plished  by  the  University  in  recent  years,  and  the  University  stands 
to-day  as  the  peer  of  any  educational  institution  or  system  in  the  world. 

For  years  the  department  of  public  instruction  was  kept  out  of  politics. 
The  University  always  has  been  kept  out  of  politics,  and  ever  will  be  free 
from  contamination  of  that  character,  so  long  as  its  cardinal  principles 
remain  unaltered  and  its  executive  officers  continue  to  be  anywhere  near 
the  standard  of  the  present  staff.  The  department  of  public  instruction, 
on  the  contrary,  has  been  brought  into  politics.  We  do  not  pretend  to 
state  the  whys  and  wherefores,  but  that  it  has  been  placed  where  it  is 
dominated,  to  a  certain  extent,  by  politicians,  none  will  attempt  to  refute. 

It  is  against  this  domination  that  the  friends  of  education  in  this  state 
are  defending  the  regents  of  the  University.  And  it  is  with  this  principle 
of  complete  autonomy  on  the  part  of  the  educational  bureau  in  view  that 


9 


we  advocate  exactly  what  the  Advertiser  does  —  that  the  appointment  of 
the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  should  be  vested  in  the  regents 
of  the  University.  This  would  take  the  department  entirely  out  of  poli¬ 
tics,  and  we  can  see  no  other  present  way  in  which  this  most  desirable 
end  is  to  be  accomplished.  Partisan  politics  is  the  bane  of  education 
wherever  it  obtains  even  partial  control.  Such  power  should  be  throttled 
wherever  it  manifests  itself,  instantly  and  without  mercy.  No  branch  of 
our  public  service  is  so  close  to  the  people  as  that  of  public  education; 
and  it  is  becoming  more  sacred  year  by  year.  Had  the  citizens  of  the 
state  known  the  true  status  of  affairs  or  its  possibilities,  the  change  pro¬ 
posed  would  have  been  effected  the  last  previous  time  the  constitution 
was  revised. 

The  interest  in  the  matter  was  never  greater  than  now,  and  it  is  increas¬ 
ing.  Year  by  year  the  eyes  of  the  people  are  opened  wider  and  wider, 
and  the  demand  for  the  protection  of  public  education  from  political  par¬ 
tisanship  becomes  stronger  and  stronger.  With  public  sentiment  as  it  is 
to-day  there  is  little  room  for  doubt  that  the  action  of  the  constitutional 
convention  in  making  the  change  suggested  would  be  emphatically  endor¬ 
sed  by  the  people  if  they  were  called  upon  to  settle  the  question  with  their 
votes  next  fall.  * 


[Extracts  from  Editorial  in  The  Outlook^  i8  August,  1894.] 

*  *  *  If  in  our  educational  systems  there  is  one  principle  more  than 

'  another  to  be  insisted  upon,  it  is  that  schools  should  be  totally  dissociated 
from  politics.  The  present  issue  in  New  York  state  has  its  lessons  for 
the  educational  system  in  every  other  state  in  the  Union.  *  *  * 

Now  as  to  the  dual  system.  The  superintendent  of  public  instruction, 
elected  by  a  joint  ballot  of  the  legislature,  generally  owes  his  election  to 
political  influence.  The  regents  controlling  higher  education  are  twenty- 
three  in  number  ;  they  are  elected  in  the  same  manner  as  are  United 
States  senators,  and  they  serve  without  salary.  The  present  board  is 
composed  of  the  most  eminent  citizens  of  the  state,  and  instead  of  enlarg¬ 
ing  the  political  power  of  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  we  need 
rather  to  enlarge  the  economical,  essential,  and  non-partisan  work  of  the 
board  of  regents.  *  *  * 

The  fortunes  of  politics  affect  our  school  officers  from  the  superintend¬ 
ent  down.  Instead  of  reforming  higher  education,  we  need  rather  to  look 
at  the  incompetency  of  elementary  instruction.  *  *  * 


10 


1  ^ 


Instead  of  abolishing  the  board  of  regents,  we  would  give  them  power 
to  elect  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  and  would  make  him 
amenable  to  them.  A  body  over  which  George  Clinton,  John  Jay,  George 
William  Curtis,  and  Anson  Judd  Upson  have  presided  would  surely  prove 
at  least  as  desirable  electors  of  a  superintendent  as  would  any  partisan 
legislature.  The  regents  would  choose  a  man  without  the  slightest 
regard  to  political  affiliations,  and  with  some  regard  to  fitness  for  his 
work.  This  plan  was  unanimously  approved  at  the  recent  meeting  of  the 
University  Convocation,  the  most  largely  attended  ever  held,  which  voted 
to  memorialize  the  constitutional  convention  to  provide  for  the  recognition 
in  the  constitution  of  the  board  of  regents  as  a  constituent  part  of  the 
organic  structure  of  the  commonwealth,  and  to  confer  upon  it  the  power 
to  elect  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  of  the  state. 


[Editorial  from  Rome  Daily  Sentinel^  15  August,  1894.] 

UNIFY  THE  EDUCATIONAL  SYSTEM. 

If  the  constitutional^  convention  does  any  thing  to  the  educational  sys¬ 
tem,  let  it  unify  the  office  of  superintendent  of  public  instruction  in  the 
regents  of  the  University.  A  critic  of  the  subject  of  the  State  system  of 
education  well  says :  “  Let  us  all  unite  in  placing  the  schools  of  the  state, 
from  the  kindergarten  to  the  University,  under  the  scientific  supervision 
and  unselfish  care  of  the  regents  of  the  University,  who  are  high-minded 
men,  devoting  their  time  and  services  to  the  cause  of  education,  asking 
and  receiving  no  compensation  for  their  labors,  and  anxious  only  to  pro¬ 
mote  as  best  may  be  the  enlightenment  and  elevation  of  the  people  at 
large.” 

The  unification  would  be  desirable  if  for  no  other  reason  than  that  of 
the  equableness  and  progress  guaranteed  by  having  all  affairs  germane  to 
one  department,  kept  under  that  department.  But  the  fact  that  the  office 
of  superintendent  of  public  instruction  is  political  is  strongly  additional 
reason  for  the  consolidation.  Every  three  years  the  legislature  elects  the 
superintendent,  and  there  is  partisan  contention  over  the  office. 

The  political  considerations  likely  to  govern  the  original  choice  are  not 
such  as  tend  to  secure  the  services  of  high-minded  and  capable  men.  If 
after  three  years  the  opposing  political  party  is  in  the  ascendancy,  an  ex¬ 
perienced  officer  is  sure  to  be  turned  out.  And  so  it  goes.  Capacity  in 
the  first  place,  and  the  retention  of  the  cumulative  experience  of  the  offi¬ 
cer,  the  two  vital  principles  of  successful  administration,  cannot  be  ob¬ 
tained  under  the  present  system.  Let  the  office  cease  to  be  a  political 
foot-ball. 


11 


[Editorial  from  the  New  York  Times,  ai  August,  1894.] 

THE  REGENTS  AND  THE  SCHOOLS. 

A  few  days  ago  the  Times  pointed  out  the  advantages  that  would  accrue 
to  the  State  by  the  unification  of  the  system  of  public  instruction  by  a 
system  under  which  the  superintendent  should  be  appointed  by  the 
Regents  of  the  University. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  management  is  theoretically  much 
more  eligible  than  that  which  now  exists,  under  which  secondary  and 
higher  education,  so  far  as  the  State  has  to  do  with  it,  is  administered  by 
the  Board  of  Regents,  and  primary  instraction  by  the  Superintendent. 
The  regents  are  chosen  by  the  Legislature  as  vacancies  occur  in  their 
body,  and  each  party  makes  a  point  of  putting  forward  some  man  whom 
it  desires  to  honor  on  account  of  his  scholarship.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
system  has  worked  very  well  indeed  in  securing  men  of  high  character  and 
standing. 

A  real  and  valuable  tradition  has  been  established,  and  a  body  of  men 
assembled  the  imposition  upon  whom  of  any  duties  pertaining  to  public 
instruction  would  command  the  public  confidence  beforehand.  The  only 
complaint  that  has  ever  been  made  about  the  body  is  that  its  duties  are  not 
very  important.  On  the  one  hand,  here  is  an  advisory  board  capable  of 
supervising  and  administering  public  instruction  so  as  to  command  the 
public  confidence.  On  the  other,  here  is  the  desirableness,  admitted  by 
every  thoughtful  citizen  of  the  State,  that  the  public  school  system  should 
be  taken  out  of  politics.  What  could  be  more  obvious,  and,  now  that  a 
Constitutional  Convention  is  sitting,  more  easy,  than  to  symmetrize  our 
whole  system  of  public  instruction  by  intrusting  to  the  Regents  the 
appointment  of  the  Superintendent } 

Theoretical  anomalies  do  not  much  distress  ordinary  Americans.  So 
long  as  an  incongruous  system  worked  well  and  was  not  attacked,  there 
was  no  good  reason  why  it  should  be  changed.  But  the  present  Superin¬ 
tendent  of  Public  Instruction  has  had  the  very  bad  judgment  to  call  at¬ 
tention  to  the  incongruity  of  the  system  and  to  propose  that  the  incon¬ 
gruity  be  removed.  He  did  this  by  recommending  that  his  own  office 
should  be  magnified  by  adding  to  it  the  functions  heretofore  exercised  by 
the  Regents.  But,  to  people  who  consider  the  case,  that  is  an  impossible 
solution.  The  chances  are  very  great  that  a  Superintendent  appointed 
under  the  present  system  will  be  a  politician  and  will  owe  his  place  to 
political  influence.  In  fact,  the  present  Superintendent  is  an  object  lesson 
as  to  that  danger. 

Even  if  he  happened,  against  all  the  chances,  to  be  a  competent  and 
faithful  Superintendent,  he  would  be  in  imminent  danger  of  removal  when¬ 
ever  the  party  opposed  to  his  own  controlled  the  Legislature  at  the  ex¬ 
piration  of  his  term,  and  the  State  would  at  once  lose  the  benefit  of  his 


12 


experience.  If  he  were  appointed  by  the  Regents,  his  appointment  would 
be  as  far  removed  from  politics  as  can  be  expected  of  any  State  appoint¬ 
ment,  So  far  as  we  know  or.believe,  the  Board  of  Regents  is  as  free  from 
political  control  as  any  body  of  public  servants  in  the  State  — as  the  Court 
of  Appeals,  for  example.  We  do  not  believe  that  the  politics  of  a  candi¬ 
date  for  Superintendent  would  cut  any  figure  in  the  discussion  or  the 
consideration  of  his  appointment  by  that  body.  We  believe  the  election 
would  be  decided  solely  by  what  appeared  to  be  his  fitness  for  the  place. 

This  would  be  an  immense  and  obvious  improvement  over  the  present 
system.  In  the  first  place,  the  chances  are  overwhelmingly  against  the 
choice  being  decided  by  the  unrestricted  judgment  of  the  Legislature,  or 
the  majority  of  it,  as  to  the  fitness  of  a  candidate  ;  in  the  second  place, 
the  chances  are  overwhelmingly  against  the  Legislature’s  being  so  good  a 
judge  as  the  Regents  upon  the  fitness  of  a  candidate  for  this  particular 
place. 


[From  “  A  new  constitution  for  New  York,”  in  Review  of  Reviews,  March,  1894] 

EDUCATIONAL  REFORMS 

There  is  no  public  matter  that  lies  in  reality  so  close  to  the  hearthstone 
of  every  family  in  New  York  as  that  of  the  proper  provision  for  education, 
so  that  a  wise  and  practical  intelligence  for  citizenship  and  for  self- 
support  may  be  brought  within  the  reach  of  the  children  of  every  house¬ 
hold.  What  can  this  convention  do  to  improve  the  school  system  of  New 
York  and  for  education  in  general? 

The  opportunity  is  given  to  this  convention  to  place  the  entire  educa¬ 
tional  system  of  the  state,  from  the  primary  school  to  its  colleges  and 
universities,  under  a  thoroughly  competent  and  representative  state 
authority,  and  to  prohibit  interference  by  the  legislature  or  by  local 
officers  in  the  sphere  particularly  reserved  to  the  science  of  education. 
The  board  of  regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York  is  a 
body  which,  although  its  powers  have  been  enlarged  within  two  years,  has 
never  yet  had  that  opportunity  of  doing  effective  work  which  so  represen¬ 
tative  and  important  a  body  of  men  should  have. 


“  I  submit  that  in  states  where  there  is  a  state  university  governed  by 
regents,  the  educational  departments  of  the  state  ought  to  be  placed  under 
their  administration  and  thus  kept  out  of  the  political  powers  and  free 
from  the  dangers  which  would  entail  were  it  committed  to  their  hands. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  decided  advantages  for  the  system  in  the  state  of 
New  York,  and  is  in  itself  strong  enough  to  overbalance  almost  all  other 
considerations.” — Wili.iam  Warren  Potter,  M.  D.  in  a  paper  read  at 
the  annual  conference  of  state  medical  examining  and  licensing  boards, 
Milwaukee,  Wis.,  June  7,  1893 


13 


[Editorial  from  The  Mail  and  Express^  20  August  1894] 

SCHOOL  REFORM  AND  IMPROVEMENT. 

Argument  ought  not  be  necessary  to  fix  public  sentiment  in  favor  of  the 
reform  in  the  educational  department  of  the  State  which  has  been  pro¬ 
posed  to  the  Constitutional  Convention,  and  probably  it  is  not. 

The  change  proposed  is  that  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
shall  be  elected  by  the  Regents  of  the  University  and  be  responsible  to 
them  for  the  faithful  and  competent  discharge  of  his  duties.  At  present 
the  Superintendent,  who  is  elected  by  the  Legislature,  has  charge  of  the 
elementary  schools,  while  the  Regents  exercise  some  supervision  of  the 
higher  institutions. 

The  office  of  Superintendent  has  become  a  political  prize.  James  F. 
Crooker,  its  present  occupant,  was  formerly  a  resident  of  Buffalo,  and  was 
chosen  simply  and  solely  because  William  F.  Sheehan  named  him.  It  is 
too  much  to  expect  that  a  Superintendent,  chosen  under  such  auspices, 
would  be  satisfactory  to  the  real  friends  of  the  public  schools. 

With  in  fact  two  departments  of  education,  each  independent  of  the 
otlier,  there  is  constant  danger  of  friction.  Mr.  Crooker  has  suggested 
that  this  can  be  avoided  and  the  educational  department  of  the  State  gov¬ 
ernment  harmonized  and  unified  by  the  abolition  of  the  Regents  of  the 
University  and  the  placing  of  the  powers  and  expenditures  in  his  hands. 
But  this  would  mean  the  further  involvement  of  our  schools  in  politics, 
and  they  are  too  much  involved  already. 

The  Board  of  Regents  consists  of  the  following  eminent  citizens  : 

Martin  I.  Townsend,  LL.  D.,  Troy;  Anson  Judd  Upson,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  Glens 
Falls;  William  L.  Bostwick,  M.  A.,  Ithaca;  Chauncey  M.  Depew,  LL.  D.,  New 
York;  Charles  E.  Fitch,  M.  A.,  Rochester;  Orris  H.  Warren,  D.  D.,  Syracuse; 
Whitelaw  Reid,  LL.  D.,  New  York;  William  H.  Watson,  M.  D.,  Utica;  Henry  E. 
Turner.  Lowville;  St.  Clair  McKelway,  LL.  D.,  Brooklyn;  Hamilton  Harris,  LL.  D., 
Albany;  Daniel  Beach,  LL.  D.,  Watkins;  Willard  A.  Cobb,  M.  A.,  Lockpcrt; 
Carroll  E.  Smith,  Syracuse  ;  Pliny  T.  Sexton.  LL.  D.,  Palmyra  ;  T.  Guilford  Smith, 
M.  A.,  C.  E.,  Buffalo;  William  C.  Doane,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  Albany;  Lewis  A.  Stim- 
son,  M.  D.,  New  York;  Sylvester  Malone.  Brooklyn, 

These  gentlemen,  who  are  distinguished  for  their  ability  in  their  pro¬ 
fessions  and  who  were  selected  for  their  sympathy  in  the  broadest  sense 
with  the  public  school  system,  hold  office  for  life.  Politics  has  no  place  in 
their  deliberations.  They  represent  all  sections  of  the  State.  If  the  pub¬ 
lic  schools  were  entirely  under  their  control,  there  would  be  immediate 
and  valuable  improvement  in  these  schools.  Politics  would  be  completely 
eliminated  from  the  State’s  work  of  education.  The  teachers  would  be  se¬ 
lected  for  their  ability  and  would  not  depend  for  their  places  on  the  suc¬ 
cess  of  one  political  faction  or  another.  Incompetent  and  ignorant  per¬ 
sons  would  not,  as  they  do  now,  get  situations  through  political  influence. 

The  incongruity  of  two  departmens  of  education  is  admitted  on  all  sides 
and  it  ought  not  to  be  longer  tolerated  in  our  State.  The  fitter  should 
survive  and  control.  The  other  should  be  abolished  or  merged  in  the 
better  one.  The  consolidation  would  provide  for  superintendence  and 
take  the  public  schools  entirely  out  of  politics. 


14 


[Editorial  from  New  York  Tribune ^  23  Augfust,  1894.] 

THE  REGENTS  AND  THE  SCHOOLS. 

The  proposed  amendment  to  the  constitution  transferring  the  appoint¬ 
ment  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  from  the  Legislature  to 
the  Regents  of  the  University  is  under  consideration  by  the  Committee  on 
Education.  Approval  of  this  proposition  has  been  so  general  as  to  sug¬ 
gest  the  probability  of  favorable  action  by  the  convention  in  case  the  com¬ 
mittee  shall  recommend  the  change.  We  hope  that  it  will  have  that 
advantage.  An  open  discussion  of  its  merits  is  likely,  we  think,  to  be 
convincing  to  disinterested  persons  who  may  not  have  given  much  thought 
to  the  subject  hitherto.  Certainly  the  advocates  of  the  proposal  are  gov¬ 
erned  only  by  a  desire  to  promote  the  efficiency  of  the  schools,  and  their 
argument  is  a  strong  one. 

No  reputable  citizen  of  New  York  wants  to  have  the  selection  of  the 
Superintendent  influenced  in  the  slightest  degree  by  political  considera¬ 
tions.  But,  human  nature  being  what  it  is,  it  is  impossible  under  the 
present  method  of  appointment  to  escape  such  influences  altogether.  A 
legislature  is  either  Republican  or  Democratic,  and  its  bias  is  always  liable 
to  be  disclosed  in  the  dismissal  of  a  Superintendent  who  ought  to  be  re¬ 
tained  or  the  retention  of  a  Superintendent  who  ought  to  be  dismissed. 
Every  three  years  the  schools  of  the  State  are  subjected  to  this  danger, 
and  the  fact  that  they  may  escape  it  for  a  considerable  period  does  not 
justify  the  risk. 

The  Regents  constitute  a  permanent  body,  removed  by  the  terms  of  its 
official  existence  as  far  as  possible  from  the  influence  of  narrow  and  selfish 
considerations.  They  have  never  asked  for  an  extension  of  their  powers 
and  patronage,  and  have  no  motive  for  incurring  a  new  responsibility  ex¬ 
cept  a  laudable  desire  to  render  better  service  to  the  State  which  honors 
and  trusts  them.  It  is  believed  with  reason,  and  so  far  as  we  know  it  is 
not  openly  disputed,  that  the  proposed  amendment  would  operate  to  unify 
and  strengthen  our  educational  system.  That  is  the  end,  and  the  only 
end,  which  its  supporters  are  seeking  to  accomplish. 


MEMORIAL  OF  TEACHERS. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  Albany,  in  July,  this  year,  of  the  University 
Convocation,  which  is  composed  of  the  principals  of  the  schools  of  this 
State,  and  was  largely  attended  by  them  and  by  eminent  educators  from 
other  States,  they  unanimously  adopted  a  memorial  to  the  Constitutional 
Convention,  in  which  it  was  requested  : 

“  That  among  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  Board  of  Regents  shall  be 
the  election  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  of  the  State.” 


15 


Extracts  from  Letters  from  Prominent  Principals  of  Schools. 


“  The  proposed  movement  to  free  our  educational  system  from  politics 
ought  to  be  carried  through  without  fail. 

“  When  every  plan  is  fikely  to  be  overturned  in  three  years,  when  educa¬ 
tional  officials  have  to  court  the  favor  of  political  bosses,  and  when  a 
man’s  political  belief  has  more  power  to  put  him  in  the  office  of  Superin¬ 
dent  of  Public  Instruction  than  his  fitness  for  the  position,  then  it  is  time 
to  inaugurate  a  different  system. 

“  The  plan  to  place  these  matters  in  the  hands  of  the  Regents  of  the 
University  of  the  State  of  New  York  is  the  right  one;  for  history  has 
shown  that  they  are  working  on  the  right  line — that  of  elevating  true 
education  for  its  own  sake  and  for  the  sake  of  the  people.” 


“  I  cannot  understand  how  any  real  friend  of  education  can  fail  to  feel  a 
deep  interest  in  the  present  attempt  to  unify  the  school  system  of  this  State, 
through  the  Constitutional  Convention  now  in  session,  by  placing  the 
whole  system  under  the  supervision  of  the  Regents  of  the  University.  If 
there  were  no  other  reason  for  giving  the  Regents  the  power  to  appoint  the 
State  Superintendent  than  the  fact  that  it  would  effectually  take  the  office 
out  of  politics,  that  alone  would  be  sufficient.  But  the  rapid  development 
and  high  standard  of  excellence  attained  by  the  secondary  schools  under 
the  wise  supervision  of  the  Regents  warrants  the  belief  that  the  elementary 
schools  would  be  immeasurably  benefited,  if  placed  under  the  same  super¬ 
vision.” 


“  If  for  no  other  or  higher  than  political  reasons,  hedge  our  schools,  ele¬ 
mentary  and  secondary,  round  about  with  ever  possible  protection  against 
political  influences,  from  the  highest  position  of  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction  to  the  lowest,  if  possible.  Place  us  under  educated  and  edu¬ 
cational  men  and  not  partisan  politicians.  Divorce  partisan  politics  from 
all  educational  interests  as  far  as  practicable.  Away  with  the  dual  system  ; 
a  dual  system  is  necessarily  weak  on  account  of  conflict  and  friction. 
Harmonize  the  two  departments  of  education  in  this  State,  not  by  abol¬ 
ishing  or  placing  the  Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York 
under  the  control  of  the  Department  of  Public  Instrucion,  which  would 
be  a  surrender  to  partisan  political  influences,  but,  combine  the  whole 
State  system  of  elementary  and  secondary  schools,  by  placing  all 
under  the  fostering  care  of  the  University  and  giving  the  latter  the  control 
and  power  of  appointment  necessary  to  accomplish  this  purification.  I 
believe  that  there  would  at  once  be  a  radical  advance  and  improvement  in 
the  elementary  schools.” 


The  Regents  of  the  University  were  the  Originat¬ 
ors  OF  OUR  Public  Common  Schools. 


^^For  the  initial  and  the  decisive  step  which  led  to  a  State 
system  of  elementary  schools^  we  are  primarily  indebted  to  the 
Regents  of  the  University.  In  their  annual  report  to  the  legis¬ 
lature  in  1793,  1794  and  1795  they  urgently  represent  the  ne¬ 
cessity  of  State  action  for  the  organization  of  a  general  system 
of  elementary  schools.  They  were  the  foremost  men  in  the  State 
and  they  were  the  custodians  of  the  educational  interests  of  the 
commonwealth.  This  gave  them  the  right  to  speak  and  it  gained 
attention  to  what  they  said.  And  they  spake  earnestly,  force¬ 
fully  and  effectively.  What  they  said  brought  from  the  legisla¬ 
ture  of  1795  the  great  statute  whose  approaching  centennial 
anniversary  has  suggested  this  address.” — [Hon.  Andrew  S. 
Draper,  LL.  D.,  in  address  at  the  University  Convocation,  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  July  6,  1894. 


And  there  is  abundant  evidence  that  the  Regents  to-day,  as  they  ever 
have  done,  clearly  recognize  the  supreme  importance  of  fostering  our 
common  schools.  Make  them  responsible  for  the  character  of  the  work 
done  in  that  educational  field,  as  they  would  be  if  they  were  to  select  the 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  and  the  progress  and  improvement 
in  the  elementary  schools  of  the  State  would  be  as  marked  as  has  been 
the  development  of  the  secondary  schools,  with  whose  care  the  Regents 
have  been  especially  charged. 


The  Constitutional  Convention  Should  Vest  the  Appointment  of  the  Super¬ 
intendent  OF  Public  Instruction  in  the  Regents  of  the  University  of 
THE  State  of  New  York,  for  the  Following,  Among  Other  Reasons: 


I. 

Because  the  regents  are  a  continuous  body,  laboring  constantly  in  the  field  of  pub¬ 
lic  education,  and  dealing  with  the  subject  from  a  scientific  point  of  view.  Chosen 
primarily  because  of  attained  prominence  as  high-minded  and  capable  men,  their  offi¬ 
cial  experience  gives  them  personally,  and  their  board  traditionally,  an  expert  ability 
to  judge  more  accurately  concerning  the  natural  and  acquired  fitness  of  candidates  for 
so  important  an  educational  office  as  that  of  superintendent  of  public  instruction. 


n. 

The  independent  RCtion  of  the  regents,  free  from  harmful  outside  influences  or 
constraints,  is  assured  by  the  tenure  of  their  office,  which  is  for  life — or  rather  during 
continued  capacity  and  faithful  attendance  upon  their  duties;  and  as  they  receive  no 
compensation  for  their  services,  it  must  be  obvious  that,  as  a  rule,  the  position  would 
be  accepted  only  by  men  whose  guiding  motive  is  a  sincere  desire  to  promote  the 
public  welfare.  - 

m. 

The  educational  system  of  the  state  should  be  kept  free  from  the  contaminating 
influence  of  partisan  politics. 

That  only  can  be  assured  by  taking  the  appointment  of  educational  administrative 
officers  out  of  the  field  of  such  political  contention. 

As  now  selected,  the  choice  of  superintendent  of  public  instruction  is  invariably 
dictated  by  partisan  political  considerations,  which  must  naturally  impose  hindering 
constraints  upon  his  administration  of  the  office;  and  (of  equal  ill  consequence)  no 
matter  what  useful  expert  efficiency  such  an  official  may  acquire  or  develop  in  office, 
experience  has  demonstrated  that  he  will  be  required  to  retire  therefrom  and  give  place 
to  some  new  and  untried  man,  when  another  political  party  comes  into  power. 

IV. 

There  is  no  administrative  position  in  the  government  of  this  state  which  afTords 
greater  opportunity  for  far-reaching  public  usefulness  than  that  which  supervises  and 
guides  the  instruction  of  the  rising  generation.  It  should  have  the  services  of  the 
most  capable  of  men. 

But  under  the  present  method  of  choosing  the  superintendent  of  public  instruc¬ 
tion,  men  of  the  most  desirable  qualities  cannot  well  hope  to  compete  successfully 
for  appointment  to  that  offi(^  —  could  hardly  be  induced  to  seek  the  same,  or  to 
undertake  its  duties,  knowing  so  well  that  scientific  and  conscientious  devotion 
thereto  would  avail  but  little  toward  their  retention  in  such  official  position. 

V. 

Their  willing  and  vast  expenditures  therefor  attest  the  deep  and  earnest  interest  of 
the  people  of  this  state  in  the  cause  of  public  education.  They  will  be  quick  to  ap¬ 
prove  any  measure  that  promises  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  our  educational  agencies, 
and  will  not  hesitate  to  commend  and  vote  to  sustain  the  Constitutional  Convention 
if  it  shall  take  action  so  clearly  for  the  welfare  of  the  children  of  the  state  as  that 
herein  suggested. 


